The number of payment cards in circulation in Azerbaijan reached 23,388,000 by the end of September 2026, up 9.5% from a year earlier, according to Central Bank of Azerbaijan data.
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) reported that the total number of payment cards in use across the country climbed to 23,388,000 by the end of September 2026. That marks an increase of 414,000 cards compared with the end of August.
A year earlier, at the end of September 2025, the figure stood at just 21,368,000. That means the overall number of cards grew by 2,020,000, or 9.5%, over the 12-month period.
Credit cards buck the trend
Credit cards tell a different story. Their number stood at 2,035,000 at the end of September, down 81,000, or 3.8%, from the same period last year.
Compared with the previous month, there was a modest uptick: the August figure of 2,022,000 rose by 13,000, or 0.6%, in September. Still, measured against the end of 2025, the number of credit cards is down 42,000, a decline of 2%.
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